Welding shields are commonly worn by welders to protect their eyes from bright light displayed by a welding torch and to protect their face from molten metal and sparks created during the welding process. Oftentimes welders also need hearing protection, since welding operations frequently occur in noisy environments. Earmuffs are a desired form of hearing protection for many welders because they can be applied without prior hand washing. Earmuffs, however, are fairly large in size, and accordingly can interfere with the placement of the welding shield on the welder's head. Welders, therefore, often need to step out of the work environment to wash their hands before inserting earplugs or to go without hearing protection. Although special welding shields have been manufactured to accommodate concomitant earmuff use, these shields tend to be bulky in size, making them difficult to use in narrow spaces. Specially adapted shields also tend to let indirect light in from behind the shield, which light interferes with the welder's vision. Further, the wider-sized shield can allow sparks to enter the shield from behind when the earmuffs are not being worn. The welder therefore may own two shields: one for welding usage with earmuffs and another for welding usage without earmuffs.